[ID: A cartoonishly drawn infographic about types of pigeon poop.
Pigeon Poop! (version 1, 2022, by Lynley Loft)
Poop colour varies from bird to bird and based on diet, age, and mineral supplements- poop isn’t a valid home diagnostic tool and this chart shouldn’t be used instead of a visit to an avian vet.
Normal Poops (next to a cartoon depiction of a pigeon poop with composition labelled “urate”, “dropping”, and “urine” and a garden pea for scale)
Pigeons will poo 3-4 times an hour, producing small, moist balls smell slightly sour and earthy.Â
(Next to a picture of a dropping that is khaki brown with a white urate cap and faint foot of urine) “Ideal”, where the droppings are smooth, khaki-brown “nuts” should be the type you see most of the time.
(Next to a picture of a puddle of slightly khaki urine with only a small amount of dropping, capped by a small urate) “Watery” lots of clear or slightly khaki urine with little or no dropping, common after stress or bathing.
(Next to a picture of a typical nut of poop, but with a few seeds visible in the dropping) “Undigested Seed” a seed or two haven’t been fully digested.
(Next to a picture of a large, flat, light khaki coloured poo with a slightly blistered urate and a modest foot of urine) “Broody” loggy, slightly soggy poop with a crazed or cracked urate.
(Next to a picture of a puddle of white urine with thin strings of dropping striped by white urate) “Stringy” droppings and urine are moving quickly through the gut and haven’t quite combined.
(Next to a picture of a poop that has a faint swirled pattern, like the poop emoji) “Noodly” slightly more nut-shaped than stringy, but might break in to strings when smeared.
Unusual Poops. These unusual poops, especially acutely (all of the sudden, all of the poops) are a good clue to schedule an appointment with an avian vet, particularly if there have been no changes or disruptions in your pigeon’s routine.
(Next to a picture of a pair of otherwise typical looking poops where the droppings have a pinkish or reddish colour) “Pink, Red, or Red-Brown” while such colours are slightly frightening to new keepers, they are often caused by mineral grit or sorghum, not blood.
(Next to a picture of a poop where the dropping is predominantly mixed seed rather than digested matter and the puddle of urine is slightly larger and khaki shaded) “Undigested Seed” passing whole, undigested seeds limits the nutrition needed for a happy and healthy bird!
(Next to a picture of a puddle of brightly green urine with only a spot of dark green dropping and a spot of urate in it) “Pea Soup” distinctly bright grassy or neon green, often watery. Could indicate infection or excess bile.
(Next to a a picture of a fairly typical poop, but with a froth of bubbles edging the urate) “Frothy” frothy or bubbly poop suggests air in the gut and is not normal.
Worms cannot be detected in poop by a layperson prior to worming medication.
Under the border of the image, which is simple lines, with a silhouette of a pigeon feather at each corner, text continues: Useful descriptions to use with your vet: oily, watery, greasy, chunky, bubbly or frothy, tarry, sticky, soupy. Note unusual odour, unusual colour, wet or dirty feathers around the vent, and a change in frequency and amount of poop produced. Use common sense and visit a vet if you’re uncertain. End ID]
